‘She slid into my DMs’: The unusual way Sia convinced Hamilton star Leslie Odom Jr. to appear in her new movie Music – as the Broadway performer admits he was ‘terrified’
Broadway star Leslie Odom Jr. has revealed the unusual way he landed a role in Sia’s new musical drama film Music.
Speaking to Adelaide Now on Sunday, the American performer, 39, revealed he’d been performing in a Broadway production of Hamilton when Sia, 45, approached him backstage.
The Australia pop sensation (real name Sia Furler), had watched him perform and was so impressed that she simply had to meet him.
‘She slid into my DMs’: Broadway star Leslie Odom Jr, 39, (left) has shared the unusual way Sia, 45, (right) asked him to appear in her new movie Music
‘Sia still had tears in her eyes when we met, so we had a long conversation backstage,’ Leslie told the publication.
Not long after their meeting, Leslie said that Sia ‘slid into his DMs’ and offered him a leading role in Music.
‘Sia was offering me the opportunity to take the leap with her and I gladly grabbed onto that shooting star and went along for the ride,’ he said.
Scouted: Sia approached Leslie for a chat backstage after watching him perform in Hamilton on Broadway, before later ‘sliding into his DMs’ to offer him a role in her film
‘Sia still had tears in her eyes when we met, so we had a long conversation backstage,’ Leslie (right) told the publication. Pictured performing in Hamilton with Manuel Miranda (left)
‘I was terrified, but I went along for the ride.’
In the film, Leslie plays the role of Ebo, the neighbour of a newly-sober drug dealer named Zu (played by Kate Hudson).
Following the death of her grandmother, Zu inherits sole-guardianship of her autistic teenage half-sister Music (played by Maddie Zeigler).
Plot: Following the death of her grandmother, Zu inherits sole-guardianship of her autistic teenage half-sister Music (played by Maddie Zeigler). Pictured: Kate Hudson as Zu
Amid a struggle towards sobriety and a few close encounters that land her on probation, Zu finds purpose in her newfound responsibility as she sets out on a path to better herself for the sake of her sister.
The characters also take part in colourful dance sequences throughout the film, which are intended to depict how Music views the world.
The film began production in 2015, with Sia serving as director and co-writer alongside children’s author Dallas Clayton.
Journey: Amid a struggle towards sobriety and a few close encounters that land her on probation, Zu finds purpose in her newfound responsibility as she sets out on a path to better herself for the sake of her sister. Pictured: Maddie Ziegler as Music